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For want of a new microwave…
The psychopharmaceutical plant at one end of Clarence has a small fire when their ancient lunchroom micro spits out its last spark. Then, a failure in the Emergency Procedures system leads to a massive chemical spill of Deletrium, a drug whose only effect is some serious mind messing. Nothing to fear, say the company officials. We'll see.
Down the street, at Davis & Dean --- franchise bookseller with in-store coffee shop --- patrons watch the ugly yellow smoke descend upon their town. Understandably worried, they are skeptical at the announcement that there is no imminent danger. Stay inside for the next 24 hours, but aside from that, everything is fine, they're told. Well, everything is definitely not fine.
Soon, the residents of this charming college village, located somewhere in Minnesota, are besieged by their own memories. They can remember every event that ever happened in their lives. For some, the experience is distinctly unhealthy. For others, just highly disruptive. Deep introspection is the best they can hope for.
At the same time she laces the lives of her characters together, author Anne Ursu also separates them as they retreat to examine or, in some cases, flee from their pasts. The townsfolk of Clarence, after the spill, form a special bond, one that is not apparent to them until they emerge from the mental fog that temporarily blurs their vision. Complex and diverse, the characters draw you into their lives with the author's cinematic style. Anne Ursu has fashioned a sampling of society and allows us a peek at their innermost desires and dreads.
Bennie Singer, a psychology professor at local Mansfield University, becomes immersed in grief for his dead wife, rendering him almost inert, while his nine-year-old daughter Sophie fights her own battles and, in ironic reversal, cares for her father and grandmother. Meanwhile, Bennie's mother sequesters herself with her thoughts and emotions, ultimately drawing the strength to snap out of it from the love she has for her son and granddaughter. And a young couple, very much in love, takes a closer look at their relationship, what it has meant, what they expect it to be. Each citizen of Clarence does much the same, and we wonder whether they are suffering a past burden or rejoicing in remembered glee.
Ask yourself how much do you really want to remember? Then, if you've answered that question truthfully, are there forgotten joys you wish you could revisit? Really? How much detail can you handle? In SPILLING CLARENCE, Anne Ursu shows us what a blessing memory can be --- and what a curse. The town may survive the bombardment of years of suppressed or supplanted memories, but no one comes out unscathed, including the reader.
Living through the 280 pages of this book leaves you chuckling, grinning, tearful, thoughtful, warmed, chilled and, not surprisingly, reminiscent. Your good fortune, however, lies in the fact that you can control where your mind wanders. Your good fortune also lies in the fact that you have had the opportunity to read a brilliant first novel. If you're still not convinced, stop by Ms. Ursu's website, http://www.anneursu.com. Stroll around Clarence a while. Check out the Davis & Dean bookstore. Sign the guestbook at Sunny Shadows Estates retirement center. Read a couple of articles from the Clarence Chronicle. Then see if you can resist SPILLING CLARENCE.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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